2 Episode 0 (2)

2 Years Ago

He shivered as he felt the cold breeze brushing past him. The tunnel he was in wasn't very large. Even though he wasn't familiar with this type of places he was curious about the thing this place contained.

He found here 4 days ago while trying to escape from the crowd of guests who came to his 18th birthday party. He fell here from the basement. After some minutes to figure out where he was he quickly found a way to go his room secretly. And after everyone left he came here without someone knowing.

He took a basic steel spear with him. He quite liked them. Can be used as both projectiles and melee weapons, it was interesting and fun.

He listened while walking through the crumbled tunnel. The air became colder and colder in the deep tunnel.

After five minutes he saw an exit. As he got closer to the exit an ominous feeling filled him. He bit his lips and started to proceed cautiously. He pulled out his spear.

He believed he could overcome the thing there. He was trained for killing. As one of the successors of War Temple's noble families, he was taught to be wise and mighty.

When he got to exit he moved even more cautiously. He moved on his fingers. He held his spear ready to move anytime. When he got out he felt wind gushing to his face.

This place was a giant cave with a gap in it. Sunlight was entering from the top and lighting a specific area. When he followed the light and saw what it was lighting he froze.

'Brother!'

His brother, heir of the family was there mediating and absorbing some kind of energy from the vase in front of him.

'What is he doing? This vase... Is this the Vase of Corruption? Brother is violating the rules of Temple. If this does not come to an end our family will certainly be ruined. But he is my brother!'

He tightened his grip on the spear. He was indecisive. One side was his brother and the other was his acquaintances. He gnashed his teeth.

'He seems to be in some sort of trance. He is defenseless. I will finish it here.'

He raised his spear. He extended out his arm and then threw it with all his force. As he fell into mixed feelings he watched the spear fly and pierce his brother's chest.

When his brother felt something piercing his chest he suddenly opened his eyes. They were filled with shock. Then he fell back.

When he saw his brother fall he felt a pain in his heart.

'Sorry brother but you left me no choice.'

Then he ran towards the vase he had to destroy the remaining demonic power. He quickly arrived near it. But when he extended his arm he felt someone hold his wrist.

When he looked the one he holds, he saw him.

"What are you doing father? This is a demonic artifact. Brother was violati-"

He stopped when he realized. something. 'I was a fool' he thought.

"It was you. You gave brother this and this all was his extreme power."

His father looked at him with a grim expression.

"Still a disappointment. You should have understood it when you saw all of this."

Then he looked at his mother. She had a grim expression too. His father continued.

"Alistair Coben! You are exiled from the lands of Coben clan! Your sin is killing one of your own blood!"

***

5 Years Ago

He tightened his grip on his sword while looking forward before the walls of Raven's Gate castle. He had seen many battles before and he had seen any type of enemy. But this time the ominous feeling plaguing him never decreased.

He shot a glance at his newly formed squad. As one of the fort's commanders, he knew most of the soldiers. Squad and the army surrounding them were all professional soldiers. They had experienced and survived many battles. 'Yes, ' he thought, 'One needs to be experienced to be sent to this god-forsaken place.'. Still, most of them were shivering under the heavy pressure of cold, dark and blood smelling air.

Then he tried to calculate since when they were here. 'One month! We have been here since the third week of the first month! For only 6 weeks we could small resistance! Now the ominous feeling peaked. Is this the end?'

In this span of one month, he had survived many skirmishes with his former team. Just one week ago they had fallen to a trap and got their team eradicated. He was one of the two survivors. When he and his former team's member healed they immediately set up another team as it was necessary.

After a while of waiting sounds of warhorns filled the area. An equerry shouted loudly.

"Get ready! Demons are coming!!"

Soon sounds of vicious and monstrous warcries filled the battlefield. Waves, waves of demons filled the passage.

He glanced at his team and saw each of them gulping. He sneered and turned his gaze over another man.

This man was the chief in command of the Raven's Gate. He was a zealous paladin who grew up in the temple. He was talking to the soldiers.

"My great brethren! For 6 weeks straight we fought against these lowly scums as separated teams... Today is the day of dawn! Today is the last day of our fight here! We, sons of the light, shall advance and drive out the demons out of our blessed lands! We shall seal their damned gateway once and for all! Now, my brothers! In the name of our god Aisanmor! Charge!!"

Then thousands of enraged soldiers charged fearlessly at the demons. They all charged for nothing...

---------

He roared and slashed down with his sword. After the blood gushed out to his face he pulled the goblinoid demon over the man it was attacking. The man with long, black hair exhaled and looked at him.

"Thank you, Commander Karen, you saved my life. I owe you."

His voice was trembling. This man was one of the vice commanders. Two of them were together on their way here from the Dorannian with the army which was sent from there. They had a somewhat close relationship as soldiers from the same homeland.

Then Commander looked around him. Soldiers who survived the war were rare and were hunted by the demons. He clenched his teeth. There was not a single place clean, corpses filled everywhere. Soon only survivors were them.

Then a roar echoed.

Commander Karen shuddered when he heard it. He gazed at the vice commander. Then he reached out to a pocket on his shirt.

"Leave. Leave and escape towards the north. Go to the Temple of Holy Light and find the Sacred Knight Edward Quill. Tell him that the Raven's Gate fell. And give this insignia to him. He will know what to do with it."

The vice commander looked surprised. "Y-you?!" he said. Karen looked at him with a cold smile.

"If I, Alexander Karen, thought of survival I wouldn't give the insignia to you. Now, leave!"

***

20 Years Ago

It was a happy night. His family was unlike any other of their kind. They neither lived in beastmen tribes nor in human cities. His father built a cottage towards the north where it frequently rained. His father was a busy man so days like this, when they were together, were rare but lovely.

He had a. eastern human (Ivelian) mother who was caring and lovely. His father, who was a lizardman (Argionfol), was kind and protective. They were a perfect and happy family.

But happiness never lasted long...

That night started as a happy one. His father had returned from a trip to the south and his sister had just recovered from her illness.

He wore his father's hunting hat and sat on the sofa in the far corner of the room in order to read a book. His mother was playing with his 2 years old sister and his father was feeding the fire.

Then a howling was heard. His father narrowed his eyes and hustled towards the display cases where he stored his gear under the confused gazes of his family.

He broke the glass of the case which he stored his old sword. It had a golden hilt and its silver blade was shining. Then he quickly cut his palm and clenched it over an open scroll. A droplet of blood fell onto the scroll and made it glow.

Then the lizardman looked at his wife.

"Take the kids out through the basement tunnel. Don't wait for me."

She nodded. She then braced the little girl and held the boy's hand. She led them towards the backdoor which opened to other parts of the house. Then the main door broke.

A pale man with crimson hair walked in. His red eyes were glowing with bloodthirst. Another man followed him inside. He had a big and muscular body. He had claws instead of nails on his hands. He had a wolfish grin on his face.

The Lizardman smiled.

"So the most powerful scums allied and sent their best to kill the best."

His voice was sharp nothing like the small boy experienced. It had no signs of kindness from his usual tone. A murderous aura could be sensed emanating from him. It was clear he hated the men who were standing in front of him.

He continued. "But you together are not enough, are you?"

The crimson-haired man smirked. "Yes, Mr. Deckard. Indeed that is the case when you are alone. But no-"

His voice was cut by a scream as his smirk widened.

"Ipha!!" Little boy's mother was the one who screamed. The reason was the deep injury caused by a wolfs claws on her 2 years old daughter.

The lizardman, Jaerm Deckard, jumped in fright and turned back with a horrified expression. He was feeling guilty because he couldn't fulfill his role as a father. He wasn't able to protect his family.

The red-haired vampire was right he could kill another group of them alone but with his family, he could only fail.

Soon enough he realized that the pain in his abdomen was not only from his loss of a daughter. The second man's claws pierced his chest. The werewolf was grinning.

"This is why I don't understand this so-called civilized folk. They value their family too much that when something happens to them they quickly lower their guards. Look at me. I grew up myself. From a little puppy to a beast alone."

Jaerm Deckard could feel his balance crumbling. Then he saw his beautiful human wife getting split in two by the gigantic werewolf, who was also the murderer of his daughter. He blacked out for a moment. He knew he would die, so he couldn't let his son die.

He lifted his sword using the last bits of power inside him and threw himself over the damned werewolf. He used his sword like a spear and impaled the creature. Under the shocked gazes of the other two invaders, he butchered the bloody murderers. Yellow particles could be seen overflowing his body. The vampire's mind shook.

"Blessing of the Last Breath?!"

At this moment the lizard glanced at them silently before falling over his knees. He reached out to an amulet in his pocket. Then he threw it to the hands of his horrified son who was standing near the back door. He let out one more word before giving his last breath away.

"B-break... Th-the amulet..."

When fell over to the ground dead, he didn't know he left a trembling lizard-boy as his only heritage.

The vampire let out a forced laugh and walked over to the corpse of the gigantic werewolf. He pulled the sword used by Jaerm Deckard. When he lifted it up the sword started to change. A crimson color started to invade its silver blade. When it became fully silver, its hilt started to change. It became fully black and the emblem on it became a vampire ankh. When it completed the transformation vampire seemed recovered a little bit.

"Adjustment according to its user is the best aspect of magical objects!" he mumbled. Then he returned to the trembling child.

The child looked at the amulet in his hands. It was shaped like a long cross and is arms were connected by a circle. There were also wavy rays resembling a sun. He held it with his small hands. He exhaled deeply and broke it. Even though he was scared and trembling, he could still think and was aware of the consequences of his actions. He trusted his dead father and moved according to his orders.

A half sphere, golden barrier appeared when the amulet was broken. It seemed unbreakable and unbreachable. The vampire clenched his fists and cast a spell.

The werewolf who came with him, through the front door pursed his lips and looked at the barrier with doubt. "I don't know much about magic, but this barrier seems too powerful to break soon. I think we should leave," he said.

"We can't!" the vampire shouted. "Can't you see? This kid has the resemblance of his father. He might seem scared but in inside he is still rational. If he grows, he will be just another Jaerm Deckard. We must finish him now!"

The werewolf warrior let out a deep breath and started attacking.

-------

The barrier was finally crumbling. The vampire shot his last Blood Spear spell. His body shivered and as soon as the barrier broke, he dashed and ran past the kid. The kid had long stopped trembling. All along he just sat there and gazed at the ground.

At the same time, another man wearing gray heavy armor with a closed helmet on his head appeared before the door. He had a crossbow in his hands and shot it at the same time as he saw the vampire, without aiming. The bolt pierced the vampire on his back.

He screamed but continued to run. Eventually, he escaped through the window.

The werewolf realized he was being cornered so he tried to transform. In the end, he succeeded and transformed into a big wolf. This was a werewolf's third form, it resembled a wolf and it was the most fierce of all. It could only be acquired by the most talented. Then the wolf broke the walls and escaped like a dog.

The man with heavy armor removed his helm, revealing his tanned skin and curly, black hair. He knelt near the boy who was also on his knees near his dead father. He took a deep breath.

"Do you want those murderers dead, kid?"

He could see the kid clenching his teeth. This action slowly turned into a faint nod. The kid eventually raised his head and faced the man. The man shuddered when he saw the golden colored lizard eyes.

"Good," he said. "I will make you avenge your family by your own hands.". Then he stood up and offered his hand to the kid.

"Welcome to the League of Dawn, brother."

***

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